Used car customers could have a very important new tool at purchase: a warranty.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson and state Representative David Hackney of Tukwila have filed a bill in the legislature that, if passed, would force dealers to provide used car warranties.
“The bill’s going to help everyday Washingtonians who are making a major purchase, a car, and making sure that they’ve got a warranty that protects them if they drive away and they’ve got a lemon,” said Ferguson.
Only eight states currently have used car warranty laws. If passed, Washington’s law would be one of the toughest in the country.
According to Ferguson, the bill applies to vehicles that are less than 20 years old and have less than 125,000 miles.
If a vehicle has an issue, the car dealer gets three chances to fix it. If they can’t repair it, they must provide a refund minus a mileage fee. If the car is out of service for 45 days, a refund must be provided.
The auto dealer also can’t ask buyers to waive the warranty.
“So the implied warranty is something you can sign away, and thousands of Washingtonians sign it away in that big stack of papers you get, and who’s stopping to read it? There’s no discussion around that. We’re getting rid of that system,” Ferguson said.
The length of the warranty depends on a car’s mileage. If the vehicle has less than 40,000 miles, the warranty lasts for 90 days and 3,700 miles. If it has between 80,000 and 125,000 miles, the warranty lasts for 30 days and 1,250 miles.
Ferguson features a KIRO 7 investigation into the used car warranty issue that aired last spring.
“Justin shouldn’t be stuck with a lemon,” said Ferguson.
That’s Justin Baas, who bought a $13,000 car last year. Within days it needed $3,900 worth of repairs. He says the dealer gave him no refund or fix for the car.
After KIRO 7′s Jesse Jones got involved, Justin did get his money back. But others have not been so fortunate.